"So, he talked Syldra into getting them a ride… impressive." Said the feminine voice.
"Well, you have to remember she and InuTaisho were very good allies. She definitely owes it to him." Kitty's voice sounded.
"She could get killed though…" said a masculine voice.
"Heh, I doubt it. I'll talk to Leviathan, and we'll pull some strings." Said Kitty.
"How do you suppose that InuYasha is gonna get them all through Shinjuku?" the masculine voice asked.
There was a chuckle from Kitty. "Don't worry. He'll only have to get Kagome through."
"And why is that?" Asked the masculine voice.
"Cause you're gonna distract the others, of coarse!"
"What, me?" the masculine voice asked, taken aback. "How?"
"Tut." Said the femenin voice. "You think that just because you can't remember how you know Sango, doesn't mean she won't remember you! She'll be more than apt to follow you… and Miroku should follow her more than willingly."
Kitty giggled again. "I have to say, Sango should be happy that Miroku like her. That guy is pretty nice… and his personality isn't that bad either."
"Sango is happy Miroku likes her, or haven't you been paying attention?" the feminine voice said dryly.
"Umm…" The masculine voice said. "They just left. How are we gonna follow them?"
"Don't worry…" Said the feminine voice. "I'll take care of it."
~~
Kagome knelt rigidly on the ever fluctuating scales of the sea serpent, thinking silently. Why had she acted like such a jerk to InuYasha back on the beach? It wasn't like that he was expected to tell her every aspect of his life. He certainly hadn't earned a 'sit' buy it… but where did he get off suddenly acting all noble-like.
A sudden change had definitely come over InuYasha. He wasn't acting like the normal arrogant hanyou that he normally was… at least not as often. He still had his moments, but he had been very silent the entire trip on the great serpent so far. He was acting like he did whenever he saw Kikyo… maybe that was why Kagome had been so angry earlier… because of the way he was acting. It had been slight before, ever since they had run into that "Kitty" thing at the clearing… but now it was very evident.
A sharp pain in her knee jarred her out of her thoughts as on of the blue-green scales of the serpent sliced her. Still, it was better than sitting… she looked along the length of the serpent, up to the head. InuYasha stood there, his arms crossed, and his hair waving behind him in the swift, sea-blown wind. Spray from the beast's fast pace flew up, and spattered up on his face.
He looks so different like that… She thought, admiring how the setting sun reflected off his hair, casting him in an orange glow. You wouldn't guess what he's really like just from looking at him.
Kagome thought back to when she had first seen InuYasha… pinned to a tree by Kikyo's arrow. He had looked peaceful then, as well… but then, he always looked peaceful when asleep. But when he was awake, he was rude, obnoxious, and arrogant. How could someone look so peaceful, yet be so different?
Suddenly, InuYasha turned around, and walked over to the rest of the companions, and sat down. "Okay, I've got some explaining to do…" He said, fixing a gaze at Kagome. The miko couldn't meet it. "So here it goes."
The rest nodded at him with rapt attention.
"One of the most closely guarded secrets of all the noble youkai is the city of demons… Shinjuku." He said.
Sango pursed her lips. "But I'm a youkai exterminator. I surely would have heard of it."
InuYasha starred at her a moment, then laughed. "I said one of the most guarded secrets of the noble youkai. The only one of them you've probably seen in you're entire life is Sesshoumaru. The only reason I know about it is because of my father, InuTaisho."
Sango looked at him oddly. "But InuTaisho is renowned far and why for loving humans, and is hated by most youkai."
InuYasha smiled at her. "That's because none of the youkai on the mainland know the truth." He said, almost bitterly. "Yeah, my dad loved humans. He loved my mother with all his heart… but that really didn't matter to those in Shinjuku. ´They never knew."
Kagome looked at him quizzically. "But how. If you're father lived there, then they would surely know when you were born."
InuYasha shook his head at her. "In Shinjuku, hanyous are common." He said. "Humans are simply slaves there."
Kagome blinked at him, then grew very quiet. "Oh." She said meekly. InuYasha nodded at her.
"So, most of the youkai in Shinjuku just dismissed mother as InuTaisho's little toy, and me as a bastard accident." He said, his voice barely managing to contain the bitterness.
"However, at one point a demon from China invaded Japan… his name was Hyoga. My father, along with me, Sesshoumau, his ally Totosai, and many more, went to mainland Japan to fend him off.
"And…" Kagome said, thinking. "InuTaisho died in the battle."
InuYasha shook his head. "No, my father died just afterward, after being heavily injured. My mother rushed out to help him. However, the youkai form mainland Japan saw my father as a human lover, and rushed to attack. My father and Sesshoumaru held them off, while Mother and me ran. It was then that my father died, by the hands of his own allies."
There was silence. Slowly, and haltingly, InuYasha continued. "Most hanyous are banished from Shinjuku once their old enough to defend for themselves, and dad was the only reason I was allowed to stay. Without him, I couldn't go back. I had to live here."
"But!" He interrupted anyone who might have been about to say anything, "That's not why were going there. The important thing is that the island that Shinjuku is on is also home to most of the dragons. If Vadise is a dragon, then we can probably find her there. The important thing is to remember that Humans are all slaves to the youkai in Shinjuku, so I'll go as a youkai, and you can go as my slaves."
Kagome looked up at him sharply. "You can't go in you're youkai form!" She said. "You know what happens."
InuYasha sighed. "Y'know, I can act like a pretty decent youkai when I have to." He said. "I won't actually transform, and we hopefully won't be in the city long enough for anyone to notice."
Kagome thought for a moment, then looked up. "We have to go as your slaves?" She asked, incredulously. "Why?"
InuYasha smiled sweetly at her. "For two reasons. For one, I don't feel like getting killed today. Second, you need to see Vadise, not get caught, and sold on the slave market, which is what happens to un-owned humans they find… and you don't even want to know what they do to girls."
Kagome quieted up very quickly. InuYasha nodded, and returned up by the serpents head, engaging in quiet conversation with her.
Kagome's thoughts began whirling again. That must have been why he was getting so quiet. He was remembering his life before his dad died! That must have been horrible for him, to run away as you're dad died. Granted, she had never known her father, so she didn't know what having a father was like.
Then another thought hit her. He had said that Sesshoumaru had defended them as well. Why would he do something like that? The Sesshoumau she knew would do anything to help InuYasha… but he had told him about Vadise. Who could understand why Sesshoumau did anything?
Once again, her thoughts were drawn away as another jar of pain caused her to wince. But this one didn't come from a scale… this one came from her side. It was a familiar pain… one she had experienced acutely only a few days ago. "Not again…" She gasped as he hands went to her side, and she dropped to a half lying down position. The pain was growing rapidly, invading her conscious. It felt just the same when she had passed out at school. Why did this have to happen now?
Tears began to flow from her eyes, and dimly, she could head Shippo asking if she was alright. Suddenly, she felt like she was falling. Why? The doctor had said she had two weeks. Why now? Suddenly it dawned on her.
"Kagome has two weeks to live… at most."
"At most…"
Kagome gasped in terror, and suddenly felt a splash of c0old water all around her. It was too late.
She was dying.
